Professional bodies rally behind Unisa's CTA students

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The top five postgraduate diploma achievers with their awards

The College of Accounting Sciences (CAS) at the University of South Africa (Unisa) celebrated its top achievers at the CTA Top 100 Students Awards Ceremony on Friday 19 September 2025. The event, a flagship for the college, highlighted the brightest academic talents in the rigorous Theory of Accountancy (CTA) programme and reaffirmed Unisa’s status as South Africa’s largest producer of accounting graduates.

The CTA programme, offered under the School of Applied Accountancy, is designed to prepare students for the prestigious Chartered Accountant (SA) designation. By recognising its top 100 performers, CAS honoured their resilience, dedication and academic excellence.

Celebrating excellence and transformation

The event reflects Unisa’s vision of being an African university shaping futures in the service of humanity, while also advancing CAS’s mission to produce ethical, socially responsible and competent professionals. CAS continues to drive transformation, contributing to the development of more than half of South Africa’s Black African Chartered Accountants.

The CTA Top 100 Students Awards Ceremony is a landmark for CAS and Unisa, celebrating individual achievement while cementing the university’s leadership in accounting education, transformation and professional development in South Africa and beyond.

Strong support from the profession

The ceremony was supported by major professional bodies, including the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT), South African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA), Chartered Institute of Business Accountants (CIBA), Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA), Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Corporate sponsors, including Standard Bank Private and leading accounting firms, also contributed.

Their participation underscored a shared commitment to developing the next generation of chartered accountants and reinforced confidence in Unisa’s role in shaping the profession.

Recognising the best

All 100 students were recognised, with special prizes awarded to the top five postgraduate diploma achievers. The overall top student received R11 000 in cash, along with additional gifts, including vouchers and study resources to support their journey toward professional success.

Top five postgraduate students (CTA) for 2025 award recipients:

Alice Seturumane
Chantelle Meintjies
Mashudu Nemadzivhanani
Marnus Johannes Venter
Marius Schutte

Preparing for professional success

The CTA programme (Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting Sciences Certificate in the Theory of Accounting and the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Accounting Sciences Certificate in the Theory of Accounting) has previously been under scrutiny by SAICA; however, the college successfully addressed all concerns, maintained the programme’s accreditation and implemented the necessary amendments to meet the required professional standards; therefore, the programme still enjoy the accreditation by SAICA.

To further support student success, Unisa continues to provide intensive revision programmes, digital learning platforms, mentorship opportunities and the Unisa IAC Board Course, which will run from December 2025 to January 2026. These initiatives ensure that graduates are well-prepared, confident and ready to excel in the SAICA Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC).

* By the Unisa Media Office

Publish date: 2025-10-07 00:00:00.0